A Victory for Citizen-Driven Local Government

“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

Tuesday’s result was a dramatic victory for citizen-driven local government. The media, our opponents, and even some of our supporters, were surprised we made it through. I wasn’t. Even though we were the last campaign to enter this race, I knew my neighbors were ready for reform in city hall and only needed the option on the ballot. Now Wausau stands ready to replace the existing dysfunctional leadership with a new mayor committed to inclusive democratic government.

In this race, there have been far too many distractions from the issues that matter most to city residents. Concerns over personalities, temperaments and whisper campaigns of personal attacks have crowded out discussion of critical issues. Our opponent has yet to take seriously the issues of unacceptable childhood poverty rates, mental health service shortages, stagnant incomes, a stagnant tax base and years of tax rate increases, conflicts of interest in city hall and in dealings with public-private and private ventures, and a host of other important concerns.

From the beginning, I have made clear that this campaign is not about electing an individual. A political campaign is a collection of values and intentions. This campaign has always been about returning the decision-making authority back to the people of Wausau by breaking private interests’ stranglehold on our public institutions and opening up the processes of governance so that the public eye can prevent conflict of interest and self-dealing in city hall.

As a campaign, our values demand that city hall represents the interests of the whole community, and not a select group of individuals. Our values respect the dignity of every human being and their right to participate in their own governance without regard of their gender, wealth, race, religion or politics. Our values demand safe streets, quality services and fairness for the taxpayer of Wausau. Our values demand a culture of inclusiveness in city hall. More than anything, this campaign’s values demand honesty in policy from our city government, even when the truth is unpleasant.

As a campaign, we intend on restoring robust democratic institutions to our city government. We intend on making public records truly public. We intend on delivering accurate information to the citizens of Wausau so they can make informed decisions. We intend on demanding RFPs and competitive bidding processes when spending tax dollars. We intend on implementing sound accounting and auditing to ensure accurate economic forecasts and sustainable development. We intend on reforming the committee structure and chain of command in city hall to make the process more transparent and responsive to the needs of the people.

I will continue to work hard with you to ensure victory so that our goals of reform can be achieved. I ask that the “ultimate rulers of our democracy” enjoy this first step to victory, but keep working hard to finish the job April 5.

Pledging to make the priorities of residents the priorities of local government,
– Jay

Your Information. Your Participation. Your Government.

Let's look at the facts of past and present policy issues so that, together, we can move Wausau forward. The time to end divisive, personal-attack-style local politics is now. With your participation, we can forge a path to bring prosperity back to Wausau, and the local government back to its residents.

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Authorized and Paid for by Kronenwetter for Mayor. Catherine Kronenwetter, Treasurer.

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Jay at a Glance

Early Life

Born in Wausau in 1979, and grew up on Sturgeon Eddy
Attended John Marshall Elementary, Saint Michael, Saint Matthew, and Horace Mann Middle School
Studied math at UWMC while still a high school student at Wausau East
Graduated from Wausau East High School with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma

Education

BA, Economics and History, Chancellor’s Scholar – University of Pittsburgh
JD – University of Wisconsin Law School
Judicial Intern, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

*None of the statements or the positions on my website have been vetted or approved by the ACLU of Wisconsin. All opinions on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the opinions, strategies or positions of the ACLU or its affiliates.